Pat fitzpatrick, one of the terrific bikestyle tours guides with wade. We were warned the forecast for the tourmalet wasnt great itll be snowing at the top yes, in early september, but as the big day neared it seemed to be getting better. Cols and passes of the british isles by graham robb. So when allan reeves of francefrominside tours sent me a video of him riding the full descent of the tourmalet s west side, i knew it was time to dig into the vault. Col du tourmalet is a pass in hautespyrenees and has an elevation of 1805 meters.
Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Their beauty lies in their convenience and the long histories attached to them. Theres a craggy notch between two of the highest peaks in the pyrenees. Here is where alberto contador and alexander vinokourov won some of their most heralded tour stages. The early intrepid riders were climbing poor road surfaces on heavy two speed bicycles. In winter the two sides are the grand tourmalet ski area, the largest in the french pyrenees. Youll do the 2115m climb up to the top of the col du tourmalet and then enjoy the descent. Cycling mythology records that the riders were terrorized by the experience. Its a nice climb, the gradient does not differ very much. Around 15,000 riders participate many travelling from other countries to compete and the event takes place on roads closed by the police to other traffic. But that one ascent and descent remain a vivid memory even some 16 years later. The 4th highest paved pass in france at 2,642m, the galibier is the alpine pass most often used by the tour and certainly one of the most feared by cyclists.
The gradients are rarely very steep but some of the cols can continue for 20 kilometres. Apr 14, 20 the col du tourmalet is a legendary place for cycling, steeped in history and steep in slope. I experienced so many great, frightening, and amazing things altogether. Col du tourmalet canvas prints, hand stretched around super sturdy wood frames. In 05, there were stories of gravel on the descent of the col du soulor a few days before letape, but when the day came, the road. In 2012 the tourmalet came between the aubisque and the aspin and peyresourde, and the 2014 etape du tour was a repeat of the 2008 version with the col du tourmalet to be climbed before the summit finish in hautacam. In subsequent years he led the tour over this climb. The bareges beginners areas have userfriendly moving carpets to help with those first steps. The pez first look horror mountain stages edmond hood dec 30, 2019.
A mustcycle classic col simply a mustcycle col in youre in the area and feel strong enough. Col du tourmalet map hautespyrenees, france mapcarta. Jul 19, 2019 the father of all mountain climbs, the col du tourmalet, in july 1910 took racing cyclists higher than they had ever been before. Matthew collins, who runs at bike hire shop at the foot of the tourmalet, shares his local knowledge. But there are two stunning rides that the tour has never visited and never will. Tackle the tourmalet and enjoy the comfort of vip access with europes leading. On this day, riding tourmalet embodied true dedication. Sauveur and begin the very steady climb to luz ardiden. Within a relatively small radius of the col du tourmalet, youll find famous roads like the hautacam, luz ardiden, col daspin and col. That was an excursion that i had been wanting to make since moving to toulouse 8 years ago.
I wanted to wait for the others because i was unsure of the descent and i needed a guide, he explained later. The road slinks up one side then tiptoes down the other like a cat climbing over a roof. In particular, the area around the col du tourmalet, in the western end of the french pyrenees, is home to many of the biggest names in cycling folklore. Finally, the highest paved mountain pass in the pyrenees is the port denvalira in andorra with its altitude of 2,407 m 7,897 ft. Chalet tourmalet, situated in the breathtaking campan valley close to santemariedecampan, offers family skiing and cycling accommodation. Some cols are reached by a descent, others have almost imperceptible gradients. Thys over the summit of the tourmalet, only to snap his front forks on the descent. Jun 15, 2010 through it all, cyclists struggled on the road to get to the top of the col. Although i got the shots i needed already early morning the days drive was nowhere near finished yet. On your first day your ride out of hondarribia, just a pick of which mountain passes you need to tackle. Your guide to pyrenees cycling inc col du tourmalet. Graham robb is a cultural historian and biographer, a fellow of the royal society of literature and a chevalier dans lordre des arts et des lettres.
May 29, 2012 taken by david obrien from comeragh cycling club. I have just modified 2 external links on col du tourmalet. The climb to col du tourmalet from luzsaintsauveur is considered the most wild and most beautiful from the two ways to ascend the col du tourmalet. Everything you need to know to cycle up the famous col du tourmalet. Climbing the tourmalet, hautacam, mont ventoux and more the. Col du tourmalet is one of the most famous climbs in cycling world. In my five years in france i was a regular visitor and never had a problem continue reading. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple faq for additional information. So when allan reeves of francefrominside tours sent me a video of him riding the full descent of the tourmalet. Turn your home, office, or studio into an art gallery, minus the snooty factor. Sauveur, which is where you will find ardiden velos and from there its 19km at an average gradient of 7. The french pyrenees are a wonderful base for our tour, the region is a rich cultural. A long, cold descent is absolutely no fun, if it is due to be cold we highly recommend. Savin, we had a short descent down to d921, which follows a.
Its a grey and gaunt place, often wet where not much grows. This route will take you from vallee du lavedan up the western side of col du tourmalet. Cols and passes of the british isles particular books, penguin is available as an e book, from which the data can be extracted. A strange rock formation beside the lot river on the way back into cahors. He told the story in a book published soon after the event. Right up there with the tourmalet and mont ventoux, the col du galibier has a welldeserved reputation. After enjoying an incredible descent down the other side wade and i. Col du tourmalet france travel and tourism, attractions. Hang your posters in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls arent welcome. The road down from the col du tourmalet and toward the foot of hautacam. Descent of the col du tourmalet at 2115m on the d918. Lourdes to col du tourmalet jeremy taylorjeremy taylor. The plan was to start with an outandback along the most famous and highest col in the french pyrenees, col du tourmalet, followed by a climb up to the ski station at luzardiden.
Similar to col du galibier this year, in 2010 tourmalet appeared twice in the tdf, including a muchhyped mountaintop finish won by andy schleck with the same time as contador in what many saw as an unsatisfying stage. The western ascent and descent is my personal favourite, debatably easier to climb and more fun to descend. Was slightly ruined by an amateur cycling race, which caused chaos on the ascent and descent. Altitude and gradients road profile of route from luz saint sauveur to the col du tourmalet to climb by bike. This a return, up and down the south side of the tourmalet.
Theres another bridge just down the river that was apparently built in the 14th century. Col du tourmalet france travel and tourism, attractions and. Altitude profile of the col du tourmalet climb by bike. The most visited and most hallowed mountain in the worlds most famous bike race. The 5 climbs every cyclist should experience evans cycles. And what better way to gain confidence than on the longest run in the pyrenees, kms of blissful easy descent on a green run from the col du tourmalet along the river back to the village. The col du tourmalet is a legendary place for cycling, steeped in history and steep in slope. The col du tourmalet, in frances pyrenees mountains, is a mustdo climb for cyclists. The col du tourmalet via luz saint sauveur is ranked number 24 of the pyrenees. The pyrenees is a real cycling paradise for every keen cyclist.
The start of the west ascent of the tourmalet is at luz st. Get the atmosphere of the pistes from these webcams located throughout the skiing area of the. Once over the col du tourmalet itself, we descend to luz st. Raphael geminiani on the tourmalet descent during the 1952 tour. Make sure you put all your gear on for the descent though. Cycling the french pyrenees col du tourmalet and luzardiden. The col daspin to the east, the col du soulor, luz ardiden, hautacam,the col daubisque to the west. Cycling accommodation pyrenees col du tourmalet top. Climbing the tourmalet, hautacam, mont ventoux and more. Circle of death marks century of suffering the col du tourmalet has broken the best and today it puts the riders final reserves of spirit and courage to the test richard. Cycling accommodation pyrenees col du tourmalet top cycling. Sauveur, and a quick spin down the valley brings us to lunch in gavarnie.
It is situated in the central pyrenees between france and spain in the french department of hautespyrenees. The tourmalet, at 2,115 metres, is the highest of the pyrenean cols. This site provides the pareddown data in a more convenient form. Col du tourmalet is one of the most famous climbs in cycling and the highest cycling col in the pyrenees the highest is the port denvalira 2407 m in spain, e. The second climb is the biggy the col du tourmalet. With 98km cycling to do today, this route is one to remember. Today you confront one of the pyrenees legendary mountain passes.
Starting from luz saint sauveur, the col du tourmalet ascent is 19 km long. Col du tourmalet is the highest paved mountain pass in the french pyrenees, located in the. Im two thirds up the col du tourmalet, cycling along the highest road in. Aug 12, 2017 cols and passes of the british isles particular books, penguin is available as an ebook, from which the data can be extracted. The road through the gorge can be very busy, if riding in a group. The col du tourmalet, for instance, is the saddle between two peaks, not the summit of a mountain. Col du tourmalet par campan east side including luz ardiden. The first time i rode the mighty col du tourmalet was also the last time i rode the mighty col du tourmalet. The climb is ranked number 67 in france and number 435 in the world. Arriving at the barren scree and rock saddle that is the top of col du tourmalet, the air was cold and thin at nearly 7,000 feet and the rain felt cold and close to snow. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Climb the col du tourmalet via luz saint sauveur by bike.
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